Corine de Farme - Natural Skincare?

This is the second time I have been approached by a French Skin care brand. Obviously not all skin care is created equal but once again I have discovered a brand that is not quite as it claims. Corine de Farme have started to launch in the UK. They have a partnership with Disney and launched four baby toiletries  with dual branding into Sainsbury's, Ocado, Boots and Amazon.  They have also launched into Sainsbury's with feminine care products.

Here's an extract from the email I received - A minimum 95% natural ingredients, Paraben free, Alcohol free, Phenoxyethanol free, Phthalate free, (allergen-free) fragrance. All products are also hypoallergenic & dermatologically tested. Clearly we do not claim to be 100% natural but we do strive to make our products with as high a natural ingredient content as possible. Although Phenoxyethanol is a natural ingredient we avoid using it where possible as it can also be a cause of irritation or adverse reaction.

I realised that I had looked at the feminine products in Sainsbury's the other week. I remember picking it up because of the free from ingredient list then promptly returning it to the shelf after discovering it contains SLES. Sodium lauryl ether sulphate (aka sodium laureth sulphate SLES) or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) are both inexpensive foaming agents. Sodium laureth sulfate is often regarded as less irritating than sodium lauryl sulfate. Both dry out your skin and are considered carcinogenic (the jury is out on the later information is conflicting).  Often you will see a product say it is free from SLS but it will contain SLES. Personally I avoid both because I see no difference between the two when it comes to my skin and eczema.

I follow Mademoiselle Nature and I asked her for some advice.  She confirmed my suspicions. She does not believe the 95% natural claims and questions the preservative system used to replace parabens and phenoxyethanol.

I googled Corine de Farme ingredients and Boots wesbite popped up.  The following ingredients are for the Corine de Farme Disney Winnie the Pooh lotion. I don't know about you but when a product claims to include ingredients from "natural origin" I expect to see ingredients that I would find outside my own front door. The only ingredient from nature that I can see is Calendula. Aqua; Glycerin; Paraffinum Liquidum; Cetearyl Alcohol; Phenoxyethanol; Glyceryl Stearate; PEG-100 Stearate; Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer; 1;2-Hexanedol; Caprylyl Glycol; Parfum; Sodium Hydroxide; Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract; Glucose; Tropolone; Sodium Benzoate; Potassium Sorbate; Caramel

Here are the ingredients for the body wash from the same baby range taken from Boots website. 

Aqua; Sodium Laureth Sulphate; Cocamidopropyl betaine; Sodium Chloride; Glycerine; PEG-200; Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate; Sorbitol; Citric Acid; PEG-7; Glyceryl Cocoate; Sodium Benzoate; Parfum; Potassium Sorbate; Sodium Hydroxide

The Intimate Care Shower Cream can be found on Sainsbury's grocery website and the ingredients are listed as Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Parfum, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Lactic Acid, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Benzoate, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Allantoin, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract, Sodium Citrate.

There are a number of ingredients in these products that are associated with allergies. If you would like to learn more simply search them on EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. For me, Corine de Farme joins my list of faux naturals alongside Sanex, Lush, La Roche Posey and Yves Rocher.